Former Robbinsville firefighter sentenced for official misconduct, can get parole after one year

TRENTON – A judge choked up at times Friday as he sentenced a former firefighter to five years in prison, with the eligibility for parole after a year, for falsifying time sheets to rip off the Robbinsville government for $10,000.

Mercer County Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier cited case law to support prison time of one year and five days for Robbinsville firefighter Steve Kadir, who was convicted of official misconduct and theft.

The judge issued the sentence after 19 Kadir relatives and colleagues from the Robbinsville and Hightstown fire companies testified that he’s a giving man who has saved countless lives over the years responding to fires and car crashes on the New Jersey Turnpike.

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Vietnam veteran Herb Smith, a volunteer for the Hightstown company, said Kadir took him under his wing when he joined the fire force “and I’ve found that he’s a man I’d want to go into combat with me.”

Greg Giglio echoed the comments of many in saying Kadir “lives for community service,” though under the official misconduct conviction he’s banned for life from paid as well as volunteer public positions.

Kadir, 37, whose girlfriend testified that his bust in 2012 lost them their house and chance to marry and have kids, was facing a mandatory five years in prison when he entered the courtroom Friday because that’s what the law stipulates for government employees convicted official misconduct.

Assistant Mercer Prosecutor Jim Scott, who won the conviction at trial, said the judge had little choice but to sentence Kadir to the five years to run at the same time as his terms for the other offenses, plus restitution.

But Billmeier pulled out the law books and cited an Atlantic County case, upheld on appeal, in which the judge gave a wayward cop a year and five days by issuing the five-year sentence and then permitting parole eligibility to come up in a year.

The judge maintained his composure, if barely, as he noted that Kadir is beloved in his community and had never before been arrested when approached by cops and charged with running the pay scam between 2009 and 2012.

Kadir, who was represented by lawyer Jon Reilly, also agreed to pay the $2,000 in restitution he still owed after Robbinsville cashed in the $8,000 in vacation time he had accumulated on the job as a paid firefighter for 13 years.

Some of the 35 Kadir supporters in the audience asked the judge to send Kadir home that day to help his family and town. But in the end, Billmeier said all he could do for Kadir was reduce his expected sentence by 80 percent.

He nodded to sheriffs and the fireman was handcuffed as tears filled the eyes of more than a few colleagues.

“Keep up the fight, Steve.”

“We love you, Steve,” several hollered out from the audience as Kadir was led away to jail.

Reilly said he expects to appeal the conviction. Scott also said the prosecution also might appeal Billmeier’s call after he consults with the state attorney general and other colleagues.

About the Author

Paul Mickle is a reporter for The Trentonian and a past editor of the newspaper. He is best known for his 16 years of work as a crime reporter and has won several journalism awards. Reach the author at pmickle@trentonian.com
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